Michael Ciamarra
Tuesday, June 3, 2008Affordable Health Insurance Coverage for Small BusinessA modest beginning to transform health in Alabama Filed As: Health CareThe pundit class in Alabama said it couldn't be done. Last week in a special session of the Alabama Legislature a bill giving small business tax incentives for health insurance passed. The pundits were indeed pleasantly surprised. Gov. Bob Riley deserves a lot of credit for advocating, ... more »»
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Thursday, May 15, 2008Alabama Transparency Bill is Considered for an Award--of SortsMichael Ciamarra, Alabama Policy Institute Filed As: Budget and TaxThere is a tradition in the Alabama Legislature that on the last day of the session an award for the "deadest-of-dead" bills is given. There is specific criteria when evaluating who is going to be given this award: The bill would change the way things work but never even got out of committee and ... more »»
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Wednesday, May 14, 2008Alabama Tougher Diploma Requirements (well, sort-of)Filed As: Education (k-12)With much fanfare, the Alabama Board of Education approved last week the "First Choice Diploma." Starting with the ninth-graders in fall of 2009, all high school students in Alabama will start out pursuing this advanced academic diploma. That diploma requires them to pass two years of foreign ... more »»
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Wednesday, April 30, 2008The High Cost of Alabama's Higher EducationFiled As: Education (higher)Alabama's Legislature is one roll call away from providing a tax break to Alabama families who save for their children's college expenses. Legislation is pending in the Alabama Senate that would provide a tax deduction for families making a contribution of up to $5,000 per year to either of ... more »»
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Friday, March 28, 2008Graduation Rates - New requirements for real grad ratesFiled As: Education (k-12)Alabama like most states keeps two sets of records when it comes to high school graduation rates. Alabama is credited by the No Child Left Behind Act for graduating 82 percent of their students. The rates of calculation are similar and used by most other states as well. While not an exact science, other ... more »»
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Thursday, March 27, 2008Alabama Legislature Moves Forward On Immigration EnforcementFiled As: GeneralA bi-partisan group of state legislators want Alabama to be one of numerous states to bring clarity to state law addressing immigration enforcement, employer verifiation and enforce exsiting laws. A senate committee reported favorably by a vote of 10-0 the Alabama Taxpayer and Citizen ... more »»
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Tuesday, March 25, 2008Certificate of Repeal - Long Overdue to be RepealedFiled As: Health CareThe word about certificate-of-need laws is getting out, as evidenced by the following news clipping. --- Group seeks CON repeal Policy Institute says rules keep health care prices high Sunday, February 17, 2008 ANNA VELASCO News staff writer Michael Ciamarra knows ... more »»
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Monday, March 24, 2008Ethics Training for legislators and lobbyists"The volume of grumbling suggests real change is afoot." Filed As: GeneralHere is a piece that is widely circulated in Alabama. I (Michael Ciamarra) have been told that this really made a number of lobbyists and status-quo, insider legislators "grumble." My co-author is one of the most remarkable, talented and idea-driven state legislators. Why it ... more »»
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Monday, March 24, 2008Alabama Governor Proposes Affordable Coverage for Small BusinessMoving toward a 21st century intelligent health system Filed As: Health CareIn "Legislative Agenda: 2007" by Michael Ciamarra, Alabama Policy Institute, we supported a plan that would seek a common-sense, affordable coverage that would encourage small businesses to provide health insurance. I am very pleased that Alabama’s Gov. Bob Riley has put forth a very ... more »»
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